A: Prominent studies of child abuse and maltreatment point to several unfortunate outcomes for victims as they grow up. [ Adolescents who were victims of sexual assault are three to five times more likely to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder, be abused again, be dependent on drugs and alcohol, or commit delinquent acts compared with adolescents who were not victimized, according to a

nationally representative sample. In addition, girls who witnessed violence are nearly twice as likely as boys to experience posttraumatic stress disorder later in life. [1]
On this page learn about the impact of childhood abuse on:
Delinquency and arrest
Later victimization
Impact of Abuse on Delinquency and Arrest
Being abused or neglected as a child increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59 percent, as an adult by 28 percent, and for a violent crime by 30 percent according to one study that looked at more than 1,500 cases over time (the researchers matched 900 cases of substantiated child abuse with more than 650 cases of children who had not been abused). When the researchers looked at the children's race, they found that white children who had been abused and neglected were no more likely to be arrested for a violent crime than those who had not been abused or neglected. By contrast, black children who were abused and neglected showed significantly increased rates of violent arrests compared to black children who were not maltreated. [2]
Findings from another study ? the Rochester Youth Development Study ? funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, suggest a strong relationship between childhood maltreatment and later delinquency. The Rochester study followed a sample of 1,000 urban youth over time. Researchers found that childhood maltreatment was a risk factor for officially recognized delinquency, violent self-reported delinquency and moderate self-reported delinquency. Overall, child maltreatment appeared to be a risk factor for more serious delinquency, such as assaults, but not lesser forms of delinquency, such as underage drinking. ]